Mack Mittens muses on topics like hollywood, hating on his Bentley, TI’s war chest, and more on BET.com’s Hip Hop Vs America blog…(props to Carl)

Here’s a sample….

“That T.I. situation. Things like that make it hard. But T.I. was trippin.’ C’mon boss, who you going to war with? If you didn’t try it then, why would you try it now? I don’t know his situation, but for a lot of these hip-hop artists, the problem comes in with the people who didn’t live that lifestyle. These kids got that Internet now and they will Google you.They will find out what high school you went to, what grades you had. Now we’re in the position where people have to live those lives out. That’s what I got a problem with. People wait until a certain age to get those attributes attached to their name. Gangsters aren’t sworn in, they’re born in. You’re what you were in junior high.

If you look at this generation, this generation is illiterate. These young rappers are making up their own language. It’s a lack of education. Before you had the KRS-Ones. He was considered a hard-core rapper, but he was also schooling and teaching people. These young people don’t know how to express themselves. ‘What’s up homie? What the f–k,’ that’s all they know. Their vocabulary is crazy. I went to jail and there are grown men who don’t know how to read. Pick up a “Source” magazine and all they want to do is look at the picture. Hip-hop needs a literary test. People will pick out the negative in my music, but I still make those songs. “This Can’t Be Life,” “Have Mercy on Me,” you gotta have that balance.”

Here’s the entire Beans blogpost on BET.com….

We’re making lot of money in this music business from this thing of ours, this music, this hip-hop thing. It’s entertainment, for one, but it’s our form of entertainment. You got people like Jay-Z, Nelly who are crossing over into the corporate world and they don’t want us there. We’re talking about people who are owning basketball teams and things like that. These brothers is multimillionaires. Jay-Z is predicted to be a billionaire from hip-hop and making music with no college degree. You’ve got people who’ve been in school all of their lives and he’s about to be a billionaire and have fun on his way to doing that. A lot of those people have jobs and they’re strenuous but it pays well. A lot of people in my family went to college to make money but they don’t really like what they do. It’s like a slap in the face.

To me, hip-hop is the number one marketing tool in the country right now. Everyone uses it. Jay-Z got a Hewlett Packard commercial — Pepsi, Coca-Cola. Targeting what we say is nonsense to me. What we do is no worse than what people do in Hollywood, but it’s worse there because it’s a visual. If someone reads a story to you, you’ll be tuned in, but you’ll be even more focused if you watch a movie. The same thing they are doing to hip-hop, they should be doing to Hollywood. They’ve been doing it forever. We’ve got a little two-minute video with a girl in a bikini, but they’re showing everything. They have parental discretion advised, so do we.

I think they don’t like people next door to them in big mansions with big chains having parties. They don’t want us as their neighbors. They thought they were going away from that, but now ‘those people’ are millionaires too. We’re buying ours, because they got that good credit. We’re buying ours full-out. They’re dying and leaving it to the kids and they got to pay them bills and we’re not doing that. When I ride down the street in my Bentley, they look at me like I’m not even supposed to have that car. What I got to say to that is stop hatin!’

I rap about what I know and what I see. I live in Philadelphia, the murder capital, where people are dying every day. What else am I rapping about? I see it every day. I didn’t move away. I’m there every day. I eat there. My music is like that because that’s where I come from. The problem that I got with rappers is that if you’re not part of that lifestyle and that’s not what you do, then don’t talk about it. I give you the pro and cons, I give you both sides of it. If you really listen to my music, I tell a story. It’s not just me going out there and killing everybody. That’s not what I do. Don’t just skim through it, really listen to it. I got a problem with certain rappers who don’t live that lifestyle who never did. They do it because they think that’s what’s selling records. They don’t know both sides. I know what the outcome of that life is. You got to be of the people to get to the people to relate to the people. You can’t come down in a suit and tie and tell them to stop the violence. Who is you? These young kids are forced to be adults at a young age so they have to go out and start doing adult things. Most of them can’t get jobs because by being adults they don’t have time for school. They’ve got to figure out how to feed their little sister. Their mom is working part-time, the dad is in jail. Take the drugs off the street; they’re going to start robbing people. If they are robbing people who don’t have enough to get their rent or their Pampers for the baby they had at 14, 15 years old, then they get frustrated. That’s where the killing starts. These are kids killing kids.

That T.I. situation. Things like that make it hard. But T.I. was trippin.’ C’mon boss, who you going to war with? If you didn’t try it then, why would you try it now? I don’t know his situation, but for a lot of these hip-hop artists, the problem comes in with the people who didn’t live that lifestyle. These kids got that Internet now and they will Google you.They will find out what high school you went to, what grades you had. Now we’re in the position where people have to live those lives out. That’s what I got a problem with. People wait until a certain age to get those attributes attached to their name. Gangsters aren’t sworn in, they’re born in. You’re what you were in junior high.

If you look at this generation, this generation is illiterate. These young rappers are making up their own language. It’s a lack of education. Before you had the KRS-Ones. He was considered a hard-core rapper, but he was also schooling and teaching people. These young people don’t know how to express themselves. ‘What’s up homie? What the f–k,’ that’s all they know. Their vocabulary is crazy. I went to jail and there are grown men who don’t know how to read. Pick up a “Source” magazine and all they want to do is look at the picture. Hip-hop needs a literary test. People will pick out the negative in my music, but I still make those songs. “This Can’t Be Life,” “Have Mercy on Me,” you gotta have that balance.

This is what we need to hear, real dudes speaking about how shit really is, not just fans, real people who come from real places, all these guys need to start speaking and calling people out to change things. He’s right, TI on Street Cred acting like he’s accepting a award or something, like its cool to get busted doing something illegal, its all stems to what our society has become.

THESE RAPPER MAKE ME SICK, TALKING ABOUT “YOU HAD TO LIVE THE LIFE TO TALKE ABOUT IT” THIS IS MUSIC, AND A PERSON HAS THE RIGHT TO TALK ABOUT ANYTHING. IF A PERSON IS ACTING ON A SONG THEY HEAR THEN THAT PERSON NEEDS HELP. YOU CAN’T BE GOOD AND BAD AT THE SAME TIME. HAVE A GOOD SONG ABOUT LIFE THEN A BAD ONE TALKING ABOUT KILLING AND SELLING. IF YOU DIDN’T HAVE TO MONEY YOU HAD YOU WOULD BE DOING WHAT MOST OF THE OTHERS ARE DOING. LIKE BEAN’S IS SAYING THAT PEOPLE ARE SELLING SO THEY CAN HELP THEM SELF AND THERE FAM AND MOST OF ALL TO MAKE MONEY. THAT IS THE SAME THING RAPPERS ARE DOING IN RAP DOING WHAT THEY HAVE TO DO TO MAKE MONEY TO LIVE AND IN MOSTS WAYS THIS IS BETTER THAN SELLING. WHY DID A RAPPER HAS TO BE REAL, IS IT BECUZ THERE MAKING A HOOD , BAD , GANGTER , SONG, AND ITS OK IF YOU DID LIVE THE LIFE. AND IF YOU DIDN’T LIVE THE YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO RAP ABOUT THAT KIND OF LIFE. IF ITS A GOOD SONG THEN LET IT ROCK AND THE MAN MAKE HIS MONEY. REAL REAL REAL, WHO CARES. REAL OR NOT ITS STILL NOT GOING TO DO ANY GOOD.

big up to Beans for the real talk, but i hope that he takes his own words to heart. it’s all good to preach from the pulpit and tell people how to live, but it’s a whole different story to start living it in your own life and leading by example. i love it though Beans, the Roc is definitely in the building!!! can’t wait for the tour.

This dude is cool i respect his handle but he always has something to say about somebody except focusing on hit records like why are you commenting on T.I situation and you know that man is still in court?Having went through that his self he needs a literary test.Make a hit record multi selling gold artist,and stip trying to be 50 with your comments.This was half and half,half smart half ignorant i really did not respect the T.I comments he dumbed out with those comments.

TI MAKES HIT RECORS DUKE GET ONE OR TWO THE MAN HAD AN ARSENAL IN HIS CRIB MAYBE HE LIKED COLLECTING THEM THINGS,BUT WHO IS BEANIE? THE MULTI SELLING GOLD ARTIST TO COMMENT ON THAT SITUATION LIKE WHAT SENSE DID THAT MAKE?IT WONT HELP TI IF A JUROR IS A FAN OF MISS INFO BLOG.THIS DUDE MADE ME LOOK AT HIM DIFFERENT LIKE IN THE HATER ALERT TYPE OF WAY BECAUSE I DID NOT GET THE T.I COMMENT THAT AGGED ME OUT A LITTLE.

See, look @ the people commenting on this.. you have a full spec. of people. You have the new comers that are drying hiphop… this is a real dude talking and you want to talk about hits and record sells. STICK TO POP MUSIC PUNKS! Then you have people that don’t listen to albums and makes comments because of the radio singles that come out. STICK TO POP MUSIC PUNKS! and there are the few that get it… Like dude says.. GO AWAY HIPHOP IS DEAD!!!. now leave us alone.

The Beans Blog was real talk.I love how he said people in hollywood show nudity abd sex while in a rapvideo you see a girl in a bikini and the world goes crazy.

On the t.i sitiuation.I dont really agree cuz you dont know who ti is.I heard snoop ask why he buy all those guns.But that nigga Ti has got problems.I heard he almost got robbed in balitimore,He got his ass whopped in cloverland,and people shot up his car and whined up killing his best freind
even though those were hella guns he bought
that dude has had problems wit dudes in the streets.So you cant really say nobody is after him
but i dont know thatsjust IMO

I actually agree with damn near everything beans said (which shocked the hell outta me)…

TO ALL THE PPL WHO SAID BEANS SOUNDS LIKE A HATER…….it’s cause he’s from Philly. Philly cats are just naturally grumpy and always come off like that. I’m from BK but got family in South Philly….all dem dudes just got that hater vibe to them….But that still doesn’t mean that what beans said is any less true.

a few things, if you didn’t know Beans IS grimy for real, I remember when the Hard Knock Life tour came to H-town (when he still just a roadie/crew member) and dude was wiling in the parking lot of the club… (he a fool 4-real)

as for all his comments, it evokes mixed emotions, on 1-hand, you almost sense a skee taste of hateration (50 cent-ish) but logically what person you know who made $18 million dollars last year, is riding around with half a zip of some good, 2-3 pistols about to go and buy several more (allegedly) all only hours before going to an award show that you would have headlined and/or been highly honored!!!!????

take a page from Russell – “I don’t want to be anywhere near guns….” I am wishing the best for TI and lastly I do agree with everyone who said Beans should really be focusing on how to make a HOT album and staying out of the courthouse himself….

LMAO. This cat is really mad at Beans. Are you G Unit? If not why are you screaming it out. And whoever made the comment about being real. its nothing wrong with making those songs and saying hey Im just an artist talking about the conditions in my neighborhood. its different when you say Im this type of cat and youre not, 2 things come from that. 1. kids think that youre real and the ones without the proper guidance want to immulate you. 2. the real gangsters when they see you want to try you(busta rhymes) and if youre not built for it then you become the ATM. Im from the streets not a thug or a drug dealer but have an extensive street and hip hop education. All yall cats that just started listening and living this from Big on need to do some home work. HIP HOP is about artistic expression but its also about being who you are. KRS is him, he’ll give you the street song but in third person or in audio book form. not Im a gangster for real watch me screw my face up

you hear this niggaz talking like he startin some positive movement…this is a nigga who has, NUMEROUS TIMES, stalled his career due to gettin’ locked up, charged, etc. (one or the others)…now i fux with this dude…i’m from Philly…but he dont even get play on his hometown radio stations so c’mon man! yea i agree with him that TI went TOOOOO far with his arsenal but dont try to play homie like he was a sucka ass nigga! ignorant dudes like Beanie measure niggaz by the jail records right?…iight then 7 time convicted felon…is that not “good or hood” enough for you moron? all the other shit i agree with far as people needing to step thr reading game up but yo dont throw stones til you fix ya own fuckt up career (not 1/2 as successful as TI, been out WAY longer) and def dont talk about this man track record unless you was in Atlanta with him. haven’t heard a ATL nigga yet discredit the street shit this nig TI be talking about! lastly dont bring up “This cant be life” as example as if you was changinh the world on that song…all you did was talk about a hard life coming up – TI HAS DONE THAT ON MANY SONGS AS DOES EVERY OTHER FUCKIN’ RAPPER! pleez bro…my bad if the tone of this response seems intense but yo Beans need to look in the mirror – THIS NIGGA TOLD JAY TO PUT HIS FEET UP, HE GOT EM…back in 99!….JAY ONLY WISH HE “COULD” DUDE! PLEASE!

It has nothing 2 do with record sales and I knew people would bring how many records beans sold into this when it has nothing 2 do with that. Im not even a beanie fan and I respect the things what he had to say. Agree or disagree but he’s not hating. TI is stupid. He’s a millionaire, im sure he’s not living in the hood anymore. He got what he deserved. I dont want to hear anyone say he bought guns cause he got haters out there cause he can always afford armed security if he doesn’t have one already. It’s a wrap for TI he got busted by the FBI and I don’t feel pity for him.

real talk, why is everyone getting hasty at his TI comments? can someone tell me TI himself had a good reason buying unmarked, illegal guns AS A FELON? no, you cant. Yea, I love TI and his music too, but you have to take your feelings out of a problem and look at it unbiased. Props to Sigel for being the first motherfucker to actually say what has to be said.

I have to agree with Beans on this on this one. To all you people that disagree with him or say that he’s “Hating” have no clue what your’e talking about. He didnt discredit TI’s artistry he just said that he was in the wrong. And as far as his record sales or his music goes he’s still a good rapper and could give it to half of these cats out now.

I Read everybodys comments and they made sense but beans was out of line a little To comment on the T.I shit it is asinine to say the least,that man is going through some things right now.He made a mistake im sure he regrets putting his family through that much bullshit,Secondly beans is on full creating a buzz mode so if he gets his buzz popping from this its genius if not what was the point????

Who is Beanie?
Are you mad because you can’t feel his shoes?
Are you mad because your single is not getting no play? Yes, the single with R.
I am just as bad as you commenting on your blog comment about T.I. and hear I am responding, but you were out of line.
Where is the loyalty in the industry or should I say the streets since you want to be a real dude.

Beans, was one of my favorite rappers until I read this. This is a prime example of when the pot calling the kettle black. How many cases has this dude had? At least TI had common sense to return a rental car!! How come he worried about that dude and what that man talk about? When has he won an award (without Jay-Z)? He talks a lot of the same stuff as TIP but wants to come down on that man, please. I mean he had to go to Kells to get on a track, c’mon money stop hating on that man. Get it together and make good music on you own merit. Oh yeah, did you pay them State Property dudes what you owed them? STOP PUTTING THAT ROCAWEAR KNOCKOFF CRAP OUT TOO!!!

This coming from a guy who just got out of prison and is already going commercial to try and sell records. Beans said R.Kelly is on the record because he could get T-Pain or Akon that tells me right there that he is trying to sound like everybody else T-Pain and Akon are on everybody’s record beans get back to making your music and stop worrying about the King

To a degree beans is right about the TI allege situation. I don’t know the logistics of his innocence or guilt, but if homey was getting down like that he would have been armed up already . That wasn’t dukes lane,you could see that by those actions and that type of shit happens when you really don’t move like that, you start fuckin with security ass niggas that you really don’t know. Feel me. If that was how you was rocking you would already have chess pieces in motion for that type of drama. TI just really showed his hand as far as how not to make moves.(Broad day; parking lot. Real sloppy clown shit. All that artillery was over kill, niggas dont even have shootouts like that no more, thats some old school shit. But that raplife shit goin get alot of these niggas caught up in the hype. real recognize real if you’ve lived that life the furthest thing you want to do is relive it, cause it’s real out here. Hopefully this will be a lesson to some younger G’s so that they respect there FREEDOM a lil more.

just cause you live somewhere doesnt mean you have to rap about things that go on their. i know people from the hood who rap about things that they want to be or rap about things that are not even in this world cause they feel it. just cause you live in a bad place doesnt mean you have to rap about guns or drugs. anybody can rap about things they seen but to make up things not lieing about it but to make up a sort of feeling with a colab of words with punch lines or metafours i think is more hard to do and it takes skills to do it. if you ask me that hole “oh i sold drugs and shoot guns thing is played out and wack. its almost like oh you sold drugs??? is that all you have to talk about. i give props to people like wu tang,nas,eminem,big pun,redman. cause yea they came from bad places too but they have tru skillz that outshine the same old “oh i sell drugs rappers.and as for ti well i have one word=wack. i guess what im saying is yea you might be tuff you might can fight but wheres your rap skillz its almost like rapping during a gun fight.